It’s baaaaaaaaaaaaack! Y’all, Little League season is here again! Did you miss all the little slugger pictures from last spring? Good news, Saturdays will be baseball days until June. (That sound was the sound of me digging through my dresser to find my “I Can’t, We Have Baseball” t-shirt.)

Yeah, so Saturday was as busy as they get. We were up and out the door at 7:30 a.m. (yawwwwwn) for Little League Opening Day. The league skipped big opening day festivities last year for obvious reasons, so this was our first experience and let me tell you: it was a circus. We found our team easily enough, thanks to the huge and impressive “Coach Pitch – Orioles” banner that the coach had prepared; said goodbye to Nugget and wandered off to find a spot along the “parade route.” The three motorcycle cops who were opening the parade steamed off promptly at 8:00, followed by the three elementary school mascots, and then – nothing for fifteen minutes; none of the teams were ready. But at least the cops made it to their doughnuts on time, right? Womp, womp. Anyway, the parade eventually straggled through, there were too many speeches, and we won “best banner” in the coach pitch division – off to a good start. As soon as we were released from Opening Day, we rushed off to Nugget’s birthday party, which I scheduled for the first day of baseball season in a fit of spectacularly poor planning. It worked out, though – our game was luckily scheduled for later in the afternoon and we only lost one party guest to sports. Nugget got a huge turnout for his party, which was at our local playground – the kids had a ball running around, and the grownups milled about drinking LaCroix and talking. Nugget’s best buddy even made the trek out from Arlington to join the contingents from the first grade class and the neighborhood; that’s friendship, indeed. Anyway – after a parade and a three-hour birthday party we were all wiped, but no rest for the wicked: we headed back to the ballpark for the first game of the season. Nugget acquitted himself admirably and Peanut appointed herself Official Babysitter and Head Cheerleader, and a good time was had by all.

As you can imagine, I was completely exhausted by the time we finally wrapped up the day. I couldn’t even face cleaning up the birthday present detritus and collapsed into bed at 8:30, and slept for TWELVE HOURS. On Sunday, I had big plans to get stuff done around the house: I have a mountain of laundry that needs folded; several science experiments growing in the fridge; and a blank weekly menu board. But I was still wiped, and ended up unable to muster the energy for anything more strenuous than taking the kids to swim lessons (Nugget leveled up again and is moving on to Glider 3!) and a stroll around the neighborhood with The Mom Hour in my earbuds in the afternoon. Well, there’s always the weekdays for getting stuff done.

Reading. It was a good reading week, if a slow one (attributable to the busiest, most jam-packed week I’ve had since starting my current job). Everything I read, when I found time to read, was delightful – and each title so different: wartime short stories from one of my favorite writers, a Mitford memoir, and a frothy Angela Thirkell novel, yes, please to all.

Watching. All Springwatch, all the time – or at least, every evening – the 2021 series, on Britbox, while we wait for 2022 to drop. Y’all. If you don’t have Britbox, I really can’t recommend it highly enough. It’s worth it if only for the wildcat kittens on Springwatch ’21. I’ll say that again, louder for the people in the back. Wildcat. Kittens.

Listening. A hodgepodge this week, as usual. Some music – belting out Pink and The New Pornographers on the way to the grocery store, like ya do. Some audiobook – I’m still working my way through Agatha Christie’s The 4.50 From Paddington and expecting to finish it up while commuting this coming week. Some podcast, namely The Mom Hour, for when I can’t face anything but Meagan and Sarah’s gentle voices.

Making. Oof. Nothing much this week – other than work product, it was one of those weeks, as busy as they get. And a couple of dinners for the family, probably, but I can’t remember them. No crafting, no photography, no interesting baking, no plans. Next week should be calmer.

Moving. For a hectic week, I did do a good job of prioritizing self-care. Three runs, including an interval run via the Peloton app, two yoga sessions, and several long walks. I hoped to get out for a long bike ride on Friday morning, but it was not to be – what with the work schedule. But it’s all right; I did what I needed to do to stay sane.

Blogging. Spring survival techniques on Wednesday (yes, spring survival; you intrigued?) and back to Arches National Park for another stop on Friday, do come around then.

Loving. At the risk of sounding my age, I have to admit that the thing that has made the most difference in my life for the past week is – my new pillow. I’d been clinging for far too long to an old, lumpy pillow and after a couple of nights of really terrible sleep, Steve ordered new pillows for both of us from Casper. I was skeptical. I’m now converted. It has made all the difference.

Asking. What are you reading this week?

See that? Spring is in the air – officially, now! (Ostara blessings to my earth goddessy types.) The equinox is past, the buds are on the trees and there are a few blossoms out already. Of course, that means something else, less welcome, is in the air too. My red car is yellow from the sheets of pollen around here. I’ve started my annual course of Allegra, because the only way to survive this season without being totally miserable is to start early and stay ahead of it.

Anyway – pollen aside, it was a lovely weekend, really lovely, from beginning to end. I started on a high note: a happy hour, over videoconference, with my dear friend (and former coworker) Vanessa. First, and most importantly, we’d missed each other terribly and it had just been too long. There was so much to catch up on: her second baby (her birth story was insane) being the main event, but she’s also interviewing for a few jobs with my current employer! Obviously, the idea of being in the same office with Vanessa again is almost too wonderful to comprehend. I’m peppering her with interview tips and trying not to let myself get too excited. But, really. We talked as hard as we could for two hours – until my sour and her hard cider were long empty – and made plans to get together in person soon.

The rest of the weekend was wonderful and restful. On Saturday, we slipped out to our favorite park for a hike, and I spotted all kinds of signs of spring along the trail. Came home to a delicious sushi dinner – yum. Sunday was just as good – a four mile run on my favorite trail in the morning, followed by swim class for the kids and then a visit from another dear friend (and former coworker) Amanda. Amanda brought her two sweet munchkins over to play with mine, and while the kiddos ran around outside the moms ate frittata and drank tea; caught up on all the stresses and joys of motherhood; and emptied the kids’ dressers of outgrown clothes (now to be loved by Amanda’s family – they’re my favorite hand-me-down victims; this is the latest in a long history of me pawning off the kids’ clothes on Amanda). It was a weekend full of fresh air, good food, and time with cherished friends; what could possibly be better?

Reading. It didn’t feel like a slow reading week, but I guess it was – two books finished, and one on the go. What have I been doing in the evenings? Now I can’t recall. Oh, well – all excellent reads, though. The Armourer’s House was delightful; Agnes Grey a long-anticipated re-read (review coming soon for The Classics Club Challenge); and I’m about halfway through English Climate: Wartime Stories and absolutely loving it.

Watching. Lots and lots of Springwatch (last year’s content, on Britbox), and Steve and I also finished up Mapp and Lucia, starring the marvelous Anna Chancellor.

Listening. A mix – some music, some podcasts, some audiobook time. All good stuff, but nothing notable to report.

Making. Well, the biggest news here is what I did not make: any progress on my Costa Rica photo book, which is unfortunate because there was a very short-lived promotion including unlimited free pages; that’s a crazy deal and I missed out. This will just be motivation to get it done so that if a similar deal comes around again – hopefully it will – I’ll be in a position to take advantage of it next time! Otherwise – hmmm. Some progress on Nugget’s scarf, but not much. No progress on my fingerless gloves. Lots of work product. A delicious tomato-basil frittata and chickpea pasta with homemade tomato sauce, which Amanda and I enjoyed for lunch on Sunday. Much folded laundry (and I’m still behind).

Moving. A good week in movement! A couple of walks, two yoga sessions, and a few runs – including a lovely and peaceful four-miler on Sunday and an intense HIIT run (via the Peloton app) earlier in the week. My fastest pace was 05:42 minutes/mile! Now, I’m sure I didn’t sustain that for more than a couple of seconds, but I didn’t even realize I could get to that pace at all. So thanks, Becs, for the push, and thanks, Garmin, for the info. I AM A BEAST.

Blogging. Themed reads on Wednesday – it was a hard one to write, because there was an absolute wealth of material and narrowing down the options to just three recommendations was not an easy task. And then back to the wild, wild west on Friday with a fun hike recap. Check in with me then!

Loving. So, this would not be a “loving” for many people, and honestly I’m a bit surprised that it was for me, but… ya girl worked in the office on Thursday! I put on my nicest jeans (my company is famously casual), drove into Arlington, parked in a parking garage, found my DESK (!!!), promptly stole someone else’s desk (!!!!!), and worked an actual office day. This is exciting stuff, people. The last time I worked a regular day – not a hearing, deposition, or special event – in the office was March 13, 2020. Two years. When I was in the thick of commuting every day I think I would have said working fully remote would be a dream, and it has been great to have the flexibility, and I don’t plan to go back to five days a week in the office – probably ever. (It goes without saying, but I’ll say anyway that I’m very aware of how lucky I am to have the flexibility to work from home.) But I was surprised by how much I missed the interaction with people (who even am I?). There was deskside chatter with a transportation lawyer who started around the same time as I did and supports some of the same business lines, and some “getting to know you” conversation with a regulatory attorney as we heated up leftovers side-by-side. It all felt novel and fun – scanning my badge to get into the suite, wandering around looking for the fridge and the ladies’ room, seeing new faces and scouting out better desk spaces to request… Yeah, if it’s not clear, I really enjoyed cleaning out my email inbox in a different location.

Asking. What are you reading this week?

Recently, I was listening to an episode of The Read-Aloud Revival Podcast: “Hey Mamas, Reading for Pleasure is Part of the Job!” Sarah, the host, was being gently validating and encouraging – as usual – giving permissions and tips for making reading for pleasure a part of everyday life even with very young children. She shared her own experience of having three babies one year old and under and struggling to make time for her own reading in that season, and how her personal reading life has changed and evolved over the years. And it occurred to me that, while I’ve examined my reading life in other stages of motherhood – like the bleary-eyed days of a preschooler and a kindergartener – I haven’t squinted at my book time recently.

Reading through motherhood is a series of mini-shifts. Mini-shifts in schedule, mini-shifts in expectation.

• Both of my kids read fluently now. This seems like a big shift, but to arrive at this moment there were many small shifts and incremental progress. I still read aloud, but we have moments now of all sitting quietly with our respective books. I’ve waited for this for years, people.
• My commute situation has changed a few times over. I used to get in an extra ninety minutes of reading each day on the Metro (my commute was 45 minutes each way and I would whip out my book as soon as I got on the train and sometimes even before). COVID work-from-home life removed the commute from the occasion but added in walks with audiobooks – a slower way for me to read, but it adds up – and now I am looking at another commute shift as I start to transition back to the office, but with a drive commute instead of Metro as I’ve moved outside the Beltway.
• We’ve recently moved bedtime back by about an hour. It was a long-overdue shift that I’d been wanting to do for awhile, and 100% the right decision for the kids’ ages, but it does mean an hour less of reading time in the evenings.
• Reading attention ebbs and flows with political and current events outside my cozy home bubble. Orange wannabe dictator; global pandemic – big reading slump. New floppy-haired nutjob in the governor’s mansion ruining my beautiful state – mini reading slump. I fall into a doomscrolling spiral. And then I reset, breathe, hide my phone in the kitchen and get back to my books.

So this is what reading looks like, in my current season of life with two elementary school-aged anklebiters:

• It looks like half an hour of reading over my morning coffee, setting myself up for the day before I dive headfirst into dishing up breakfast, compiling school lunch and snacks, laying out clothes, inspecting bed-making, and digging for juice boxes in the back of the fridge.
• It looks like Beezus and Ramona read aloud at the bus stop, at least on the mornings we remember to grab the book on our way out the door amidst the flurry of grabbing sneakers and masks and asking Alexa what the temperature is outside.
• It looks like an audiobook (currently, The 4.50 From Paddington by Agatha Christie) several days a week, while walking around my neighborhood – sometimes as soon as the bus barrels off, sometimes mid-afternoon between conference calls – and on the way to the grocery store or library.
• It looks like bringing my book to the swim school – and indoor soccer, in the winter – on Sunday afternoons and squeezing in as many pages as I can while Peanut and Nugget are in the pool.
• It looks like cozy weekend afternoons on the couch, stretched out after a run and deep in my current book while the kids read or color or do whatever brings them joy. Reading in front of them has become more natural.
• It looks like The Hobbit or Harry Potter or a picture book in Nugget’s room for half an hour until he drifts off.
• It looks like collapsing on the couch at 9:00, after Nugget finally drops off to sleep and the rest of the house is quiet, finally opening the book for the hour I’ve promised myself.
• It looks like a page or two from A Poem for Every Spring Day before I drop off.

There’s definitely less time for reading at the moment than there was when I was commuting on Metro every day, or when the kids were going to bed stupid early and I had long evening stretches to curl up with my book while Steve met up with his friends on whatever the video game du jour happened to be. But if I’ve figured anything out in nine years of parenting, it’s that this is also just a season, and things will change again almost before I’ve had a chance to get used to this routine.

What does your reading look like in this season of life?

Good morning, friends. I’m digging my parka and snowboots and Smartwool accessories out again over here – because after several downright hot days (the kids went to school in shorts and t-shirts; we hiked last weekend in shorts and t-shirts, too) we got about two inches of heavy, wet snow on Saturday morning. Around here, that’s significant. Even more significant: it’s not gone yet, although most of it is. Anyway, the snowfall meant a hasty reshuffling of weekend plans. I’d made appointments to take both kids for haircuts on Saturday morning, and in the afternoon Nugget was scheduled for a private ski lesson at an indoor ski center (I know!) – one of his birthday treats, since he turned seven (again, I know!!!!) on Friday. But the haircuts were clearly off, as they would have us driving forty minutes each way at the height of the bad weather, and the indoor ski center asked me to reschedule so they could release the instructor. So instead, Nugget spent all of Saturday playing his new Nintendo Switch and I don’t think he was mad about it. (In fact, I was the only one who went outside all day – for a long, delicious walk in the snow. If this was winter’s last hurrah of the year, I didn’t want to miss it.)

There was a lot of Switch playing on Sunday, too, but not exclusively – we had to put a stop to that. Swimming lessons broke up the day as usual, and then we bundled up and headed to our favorite, Riverbend Regional Park, for an afternoon hike. And then the birthday boy played more Nintendo. Well – he’d better not get used to it!

Reading. Pretty busy week in books! I finished up The Fairy Tale Girl on Tuesday and spent the rest of the workweek on Martha’s Vineyard, soaking up every beautifully handpainted and handlettered detail of Susan Branch’s story there. I finally ended the trilogy of her memoirs (The Fairy Tale Girl and Martha’s Vineyard: Isle of Dreams are books one and two, but I’d read the third, A Fine Romance, last year – I should re-read it, though, because it was a total delight) and moved on to the first book in Stephen Moss’s series of “biographies” focusing on British birds – The Robin: A Biography. Loved it, and flew through it (see what I did there?) and finally picked up this gorgeous new edition of Rosemary Sutcliff’s novel of Tudor London – The Armourer’s House. I’m about halfway through and really enjoying it, as I always enjoy Rosemary Sutcliff.

Watching. A little too much watching Nugget play Nintendo Switch! We’ll put the brakes on that. And some episodes of Gardener’s World, of course, and Despicable Me 3 on Sunday, to tempt Nugget away from the Switch.

Listening. I’ve been back on a podcast train. I recommended The Mom Hour to a newly pregnant mama last week, and then dove back into my stack of episodes myself.

Making. Progress on my Costa Rica photo book has stalled out, both because I have had less access to the family computer than usual, an especially busy week at work, and I missed the boat on a really substantial discount so the impetus to hurry up and get it done is no longer there. But I will get it done, soonish. I also made progress on Nugget’s scarf, and on my first pair of fingerless gloves. And a big dinner and birthday cake for the new seven-year-old!

Moving. The usual. Some running. Some Peloton classes. A few long walks, including one in the snow – which reminded me that my Sorel boots are warm but not up to three miles of tramping around the neighborhood.

Blogging. A post on reading in this season of life coming atcha on Wednesday, and back to Colorado on Friday. Check in with me then!

Loving. It turns out I am pretty good at Mario Kart. Who knew? I remember always finding Mario Kart difficult and frustrating – I was more of a Super Mario World kind of girl. But I’ve been playing Princess Peach and tearing up the track. It’s silly, but it’s fun to play a game with my little guy.

Asking. What are you reading this week?

Good morning! It was downright warm here yesterday, and we slept with the windows open last night. Spring is most definitely on the way. On that note, rewinding to Saturday, Nugget and I decided that it would be our last mountain day of the ski season. We are lucky enough to have an indoor ski center just twenty minutes or so from us, so he can take lessons all summer and keep his skills sharp for next year! But with the weather warming up steadily, there will be no more trips up to Pennsylvania until December at the earliest. So we shoved off early on Saturday morning, determined to make the most of our last day on the slopes for many months. It was almost sixty degrees (Nugget wore shorts under his snow pants instead of his usual base layer) so the snow was basically slush and there was mud poking through the base in sections, but the flip side is that there was almost no one at the mountain and we sailed through almost every lift line. We made twelve runs, including a couple from the top of the mountain, and at the end of the day I introduced Nugget to apres ski and we toasted our ski season at the mountain tavern (him with lemonade, me with a Blue Moon). It was a great day – and a great season, and I’m sad it’s over. But the silver lining is that paddling season is right around the corner.

Anyway, Sunday was quieter. I spent the morning on the couch with my book; it had been weeks since I did that and it felt so good. Mid-day, we did our usual rush to swimming and soccer. (Last week of that – swimming will continue but indoor soccer is officially done for the season. Spring really is coming.) And after soccer, we took advantage of the warm day to get in a family hike at Riverbend Regional Park, our local favorite – it had been ages since we hit the trails as a family, due to Nugget’s and my ski schedule this winter. The first crocuses are out, my bulbs are sending up shoots in the front yard, and spring is almost here – with all the fun that warmer weather will bring.

Reading. Bit of a slow reading week – thanks partly to the fact that I was slammed with work (still catching up after vacation – I think I finally have now) and partly to a mini-reading slump brought on by the fact that I was bogging down a bit in The Dud Avocado. On Monday, I finished A Poem for Every Winter Day and pulled out A Poem for Every Spring Day, and also turned back to The Dud Avocado. I’d started it before Costa Rica, but left it home – I travel with my kindle only, these days – and took awhile to get back into it upon my return. It was very good, but just not what I wanted to be reading in the moment. Eventually, after some self-discipline, I finished it up on Sunday evening and turned (with some relief) to The Fairy Tale Girl. I love Susan Branch’s artwork, and this book is as beautiful as all her others.

Watching. We finished up The Book of Boba Fett this week; I definitely enjoyed the latter part of the season more than the first few episodes (which were still good, don’t get me wrong, but the series really picks up when the Mandalorian returns). Aside from that, we watched a couple of episodes of Rock the Park and an episode of National Geographic: The National Parks – read on for why.

Listening. I always want quiet after traveling, and I did the first few runs and walks of the week without my earbuds. But toward the end of the week I did ease back into listening – my summer playlist came back out, prematurely but probably as a result of the warmer weather, and I put in about half an hour on Agatha Christie’s The 4.50 From Paddington (read by the incomparable Joan Hickson) on Audible. I’m feeling drawn back to nature podcasts, too, so maybe a few of those are on the agenda for the coming week? Who knows.

Making. So much this week! Progress on Nugget’s knitted scarf and the beginnings of fingerless mitts for me. A pile of edited photos (almost done!) from Costa Rica, and a start on a Shutterfly album of the trip. But most exciting making of all – we made more travel plans! (We always have to have an adventure on the horizon.) Flights and lodging booked for a summer family vacation out west to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, and we are super stoked! We watched Rock the Park and National Geographic episodes about Yellowstone and Grand Teton (but mostly Yellowstone, where we will spend the bulk of our time) to get the kids excited about the trip, and I’ve started a list of hikes to check out. Between work trips and family travel, it’s looking like a busy spring and summer season ahead and I don’t mind in the least.

Moving. Not as much movement as I’d like, thanks to a jam-packed conference call schedule last week. I do try to make movement a priority but sometimes there just aren’t enough hours in the day, and it was one of those weeks. But I got in some running and plenty of walking, and kept up my 10,000 steps a day streak, so that’s something. Back to yoga and strength training this week!

Blogging. I’m planning to have another Classics Club review for you on Wednesday, but I haven’t written it yet – so we’ll see if it happens. And on Friday, more travel recaps (Friday will be travel day for the foreseeable future, so get comfortable).

Loving. I’ve already waxed rhapsodic so I won’t go on and on, but it has been so much fun skiing with my little adventure buddy all winter! I’m constantly impressed by how game he is for literally anything, and he threw himself into mountain sports with the same energy and openness that he does everything else. (Last week he said to me, “Mama, I thought skiing would be pretty cool but then I realized that, whoa, skiing is really cool!”) In just five (or six? I’ve lost count) trips up to the mountain this winter, he’s gone from never wearing skis (well, we tried once when he was two but he cried until we took them off and he didn’t actually do any skiing, so that doesn’t count) to riding every chairlift at the mountain and confidently skiing down even long green circle runs. I’m excited for his indoor lessons all summer and already can’t wait to see what he does next winter.

Asking. What are you reading this week?

Morning, friends! I can’t believe it’s the last day of February. This month has flown. Thanks for hanging in with me while I caught up on some book reviews and other posts that I’d had sitting in drafts for too long. Also – busted! I really did need to catch up on content, but in addition to that, I was on vacation. Steve and I spent a blissful, adventure-packed week and a half in Costa Rica (the kids had school, so they stayed home and my mom flew down from New York to watch them, and my dad joined her later). Many stories to come, but not for awhile because I have to get through all of my Colorado posts first. We saw a ton of incredible wildlife (humpback whales playing right around our boat; toucans and scarlet macaws; resplendent quetzals in the cloud forest; dozens of hummingbirds; three different kinds of monkeys; crocodiles; and three-toed sloths were just a few of the many) – went scuba diving with sharks, sea turtles, and stingrays – hiked in rainforests and around an active volcano – ate delicious Costa Rican food – and said “pura vida!” to everyone. I’m sorting through my pictures now and can’t wait to share.

Anyway, we returned from our grand (and warm!) adventure to sloppy rain in the middle of last week. My parents hung around until Saturday morning and then had to shove off back to their regular lives in New York, and we were back to the usual weekend rodeo. I took Nugget skiing on Saturday; the snow was wet and heavy and the sun was warm – I think we have one more ski day left this season, maybe. The good news is we have the only indoor ski center on the East Coast about twenty minutes for us, so he can take lessons all summer. Sunday was also the usual – rushing from swim lessons to indoor soccer (just one more week of doing that mad dash before soccer wraps up too). I spent the afternoon playing outside with Nugget and also squeezed in a run. It’s good to be home, but I wouldn’t mind a Costa Rican sunrise right about now.

Reading. Only five books to show you, despite taking two Mondays off these weekly reading posts – I never read much on vacation, and this time was no exception. I was too busy taking in the scenery in Costa Rica, hanging out with Steve, and getting to know our new dive buddies – and crashing as soon as the sun went down, catching up on sleep. I regret nothing. Anyway – just before leaving for the trip I finally finished The Man in the Brown Suit on audio; it was okay, but not up to Agatha Christie’s usual flawless standards. Over the course of the trip, I read through Diplomatic Passport: More Undiplomatic Diaries, by Charles Ritchie (wanted something that was about travel, since I was traveling internationally for the first time in years!) and then started Cluny Brown on the flight home, both on my kindle. I finished Cluny up over the weekend and turned back to the physical books I’d left behind for my trip – got up-to-date on A Poem for Every Winter Day (which I’ll finish today) and then returned to The Dud Avocado. I’ve got to remind myself what happened in the first third of that book, since it’s been a few weeks since I picked it up!

Watching. The highlight of watching the last few weeks has been wildlife watching – of course! I can’t wait to tell you all about it. So! Many! Animals!

Listening. Not much listening. I left my earbuds home and didn’t take them on my trip. Shortly before I left for Costa Rica, I did finish up The Man in the Brown Suit, as noted above, and turned to 4:50 From Paddington (another Agatha Christie, this one a Miss Marple and read by the incomparable Joan Hickson, so I have high expectations) on Audible.

Making. Lots and lots and lots of pictures, although I have to sort through them, delete the blurry ones, and edit the keepers – and then those are destined for a Shutterfly book and possibly some canvas or metal prints for around the house; all in good time. And I started a new scarf for Nugget, which I’ll probably finish on the first eighty-degree day, but you know how it goes.

Moving. Well, no formal exercise other than that run on Sunday (which was both wonderful – I needed it! – and terrible, as I shook off the cobwebs from not running for two weeks) but our Costa Rica trip was an active vacation for sure. Two days of scuba diving, followed by multiple hikes (some quite strenuous), swimming in waterfalls, and wildlife walks. Good stuff all! And no regrets on not running, even though my speed went out the window.

Blogging. Monthly reading recap coming for you on Wednesday, and then off to Colorado (makes total sense after all this Costa Rica talk, right? ::winks::) for more travel recaps on Friday.

Loving. This helpful roundup from NPR with a list of reputable charities to support and information about the work they are doing to help the people of Ukraine right now. Feels weird to drop that in this “loving” section, since I – like many – am absolutely horrified by Russia’s invasion of a sovereign country. But I’ve really appreciated NPR and other news outlets for the detailed information they have provided about charities to support, where I can be confident that my donation is going directly to the mission and not being diverted to other campaigns or administrative costs. I chose to donate to UNICEF and added the transaction cost onto my donation, so that my contribution will go 100% to support for Ukrainian children.

Asking. What are you reading this week?

Happy Monday, friends! So we’ve cleared the midpoint of winter, but the groundhog saw his shadow and we’re in for another six weeks. Well – I can’t be too sad about that, because I’m loving this season; skiing weekends with my little adventure buddy have given me a whole new lease on winter. We had another, and he is making such amazing progress. On Saturday we drove up to Liberty Mountain in Pennsylvania again (at about an hour and twenty minutes from us, it’s the closest ski area to where we live). We bypassed the magic carpet and got right on the bunny lift chair, and he did so well that after two runs he told me he felt ready to level up to the main mountain and tackle some green circle runs. (For my non-skiing friends, ski runs are graded by difficulty – green circle is the easiest; blue square is an intermediate run; black diamond is advanced; some mountains have double and triple black diamonds.) I thought another couple of runs on the bunny slope might have been helpful, but he insisted he wanted to try the main mountain, and it struck me that the slight level up in difficulty would be balanced out by fewer out of control beginners. So over we went to the main slopes and hit up three different green circle trails! (One out of control beginner did plow into me, but I don’t go over easily. Glad it was me that got run into, and not Nugget.) Super, super proud of this kid for trying something new and a little scary, pushing past the nerves, and persevering. He’s the best!

Sunday was another quiet one. The normal dash to swim lessons and soccer, a long neighborhood walk, Olympics coverage. I read one of Peanut’s books, that she pressed on me (more below) and really enjoyed it. Nugget and I planted our Aerogarden, a Christmas gift from Nana (thanks, Nana!). Olympics coverage to finish the weekend out.

Also, I want to let y’all know some blog business. I’m going to skip Monday reading posts for the next few weeks; there will still be posts on Mondays but they’ll be other topics. I’m behind on content and need to catch up, and I just have a lot going on and need to pre-schedule posts for a bit. Back to regularly scheduled Monday content on February 28, and I hope you like mixing it up in the meantime.

Reading. It was a busy week of work and errands last week, so reading was a bit lighter. I spent most of the week over the last two novels in the “Mapp and Lucia” series – The Worshipful Lucia and Trouble for Lucia. Both are on my Classics Club Challenge list, so full reviews coming soon. On Sunday afternoon, I blazed through Yummy: A History of Desserts, which is – wait for it – Peanut’s book! I gave it to her for Christmas (it’s a nonfiction graphic novel style tour through the history of popular desserts, so scratches several of her itches at once) and she kept insisting I would like it and should read it. So I picked it up and it was a total delight! Bookish mom achievement unlocked. Ended Sunday evening with The Dud Avocado, which seemed like a good choice for February as it’s all about an American expat’s exploits in Paris of the 1950s. Really enjoying it so far, but I’m only about fifty pages in.

Watching. The Olympics (and I know, there’s a cloud, but I want to support the athletes and I have loved the Olympics since I was a little girl). We had a little watch party on Saturday night with our dinner in the family room (a major treat for the kids, since we usually don’t allow them to take food out of the kitchen) and I’ve been watching the coverage after they go to bed. Aside from Olympics coverage, Steve and I watched the first episode of Mapp and Lucia with Miranda Richardson and Anna Chancellor. I LOVED it and Steve even enjoyed it. A miracle!

Listening. I thought I’d be able to tell you I was finished with The Man in the Brown Suit on Audible, but not yet. I’m close, though. The problem is it’s far from Christie’s best – even in the thriller genre, which isn’t her wheelhouse, Passenger to Frankfurt was much better – and I’m having to force myself to listen, rather.

Making. The usual, mostly – work product and family dinners. That’s the round of life. I also made some plans and some purchases for an upcoming adventure, about which more soon.

Moving. Finally, a week in which I can tell you I got some strength training in! I fired up the dusty Peloton app and tried out a full body strength program I hadn’t yet done, and was sore the next day (good soreness). Yay! Other than that, the usual walking, running, and skiing with the little guy.

Blogging. Back to books on Wednesday – the last of my three-part New Year’s reading retrospective, and then we can leave 2021 in the rearview mirror. And a really neat travel experience to share for Friday! Check in with me then.

Loving. Those of you who don’t ski will glaze over, but those of you who do will certainly agree with me that the worst part of skiing (or snowboarding, for that matter) is carrying all of your gear from the car to the lodge. Nugget and I have been trying to use the car as our base lodge so as to avoid indoor crowds, but we did try out getting a locker one weekend. Between our first and second ski weekends, I decided I needed a better solution for lugging my boots around, and I found the Dakine boot pack, which has been a total game changer. It has a back compartment for my boots (to keep wet, dripping gear separate from everything else – very thoughtful) and the upper zip pouch fits my helmet, goggles, gloves, and neck gaiter. It’s a backpack, so none of the shoulder slipping issues I had with the boot bags I used growing up. Like I said – game changer. And the “Solstice Floral” pattern is so pretty, I keep stealing glances at the backpack just because I like looking at it. If you ski and are tired of your boot bag, I can’t recommend highly enough.

Asking. What are you reading this week?

Y’all. How is January almost over? Seriously. How? I feel like this month has flown by – probably because we were having fun and the old truism really holds. This weekend was almost a repeat of two weeks ago; I’m tempted to just tell you to go back and read that post – but I won’t, ha! On Saturday, Nugget and I were up and out the door to the ski mountain. We got an earlier start this time, but still were stuck in the overflow parking when we arrived, oof. (But a better spot, at least.) In between our last ski outing and Saturday’s, I actually bought skis and boots for Nugget. My plan had been to rent his gear this year and buy next year at the very beginning of the season, but the two-plus hour rental line last time we skied changed my thinking – and I worked out that between the cost of the rentals and the skiing time lost waiting on line, the gear would pay for itself if we went two more times. And since I’m planning to have him take lessons all summer at an indoor ski place near us (I know!) he would definitely get more use out of it than that. He was stoked to have his own gear, and he did so great again. We worked on turns (he doesn’t see the utility) and he graduated from the magic carpet to the chairlift up to the very tippy top of the bunny slope, where he was only knocked down by an adult beginner once. My goal for this winter was for him to have fun, be comfortable, and fall in love with skiing – I think I can declare mission accomplished on all three, and we still have weeks of skiing left. Another couple of seasons and he’ll be skiing all over the mountain with me!

I can say fewer words about Sunday, because it was a much quieter and less exciting day. I worked in the morning, then made the usual rounds, darting from swimming to soccer. The rest of the afternoon, I briefly considered doing something productive (like folding laundry) but decided I’d rather read my book and that I work hard and deserve an afternoon off. So, there!

Reading. Pretty decent reading week! I spent most of the workweek over Original Letters from India, which was fascinating (what an adventurous life Eliza Fay had). Wrapped it up on Thursday and steamed through the latest issue of Slightly Foxed that evening. For the end of the week, and the weekend, I needed something light and fun to counteract doomscrolling (if you haven’t heard yet, we have a new rightwing nutjob in charge of Virginia, shivers) – Jeeves was just what the doctor ordered. I know I’ve read The Inimitable Jeeves before, but it must have been over a decade and a half ago, because Goodreads had no record of it; I corrected that. Still in need of light and funny after Jeeves, I decided that now is the time to finish off the last two novels in the Mapp and Lucia series – I’m currently on the penultimate, The Worshipful Lucia, and then I’ll turn to Trouble for Lucia.

Watching. This and that – we’re all bereft after finishing Winterwatch. Several episodes of Gardener’s World on BritBox (Steve won’t admit it but I think he’s getting hooked on Monty Don like Nugget and me). And on Sunday night, we finally started watching the absolutely hilarious Space Force. (Without the kids, obviously.) I laughed until I was literally sobbing and gasping for air.

Listening. I’m about two-thirds (I think?) through The Man in the Brown Suit now, so I’ll probably finish it up this week. While it has definitely been an improvement over In the Crypt with a Candlestick, it’s nowhere near Agatha Christie’s best. I got it on Audible, bundled with 4:50 from Paddington, which should be better – I’ll listen to that next and report back.

Making. Lots of work product last week – it was a busy one. This week will be busy, too. Otherwise, just the usual: breakfasts, lunches, school snacks, dinners, the daily round. And some tentative plans to maybe get back to running in-person races in 2022? I’m turning that idea over in my mind.

Moving. All the cardio, still. Several chilly neighborhood runs, a couple of walks, a ski day with my little buddy. I thought about doing yoga. Does that count?

Blogging. January’s reading round-up on Wednesday; buckle up because it’s a long one. And then back to Olympic National Park for another hike in the Hoh Rainforest on Friday. Check in with me then!

Loving. I recently restocked on my Beautycounter stash – man, do I love that stuff. I use Countertime antioxidant lotion and eye cream every evening before bed and I can’t do without them. They’re light and smooth, not heavily scented (I’m sensitive to fragrance), and I really think they’re doing something. I’ve written about my evening skincare routine in the past and I do sometimes get out of the habit of moisturizing before bed, but I’m trying to be better about that and Beautycounter certainly makes it easy to look forward to those few minutes of self care in the evenings.

Asking. What are you reading this week?

Yawwwwwn. Morning, friends. First of all – the Bills. What a heartbreaker last night, right? Steve is processing his feelings today. I am not into football and even I was on the edge of my seat during that wild fourth quarter, and then so bummed. Mostly, I’m just super sad for Steve and for our friends who are just crushed today.

Anyway – the weekend. It was a crazy busy one. I had designs on taking Nugget skiing or at least ice skating again, but I think I knew deep down that it wasn’t going to happen; there was just way too much to do. On Friday afternoon I nipped out to a nearby park to pick up Peanut’s Girl Scout troop’s cookie order. I have never seen anything like it: I don’t say that lightly. There were tractor trailers lined up in the parking lot in a big ring, each loaded to the gills with thin mints, samoas, trefoils, and the like. I drove slowly around the ring in a line with other troop cookie managers while a volunteer walked alongside and other volunteers jumped off the backs of the rigs and loaded my open trunk with forty-seven cases of cookies. Can you believe all of that fit in my Mazda?

So Saturday was pretty much spoken for. Nugget and I had a play date with one of his bus buddies who lives in the neighborhood. The boys played outside for three hours in the bitter (below freezing!) cold while the other mom and I huddled by her fire pit. Steve and I spent rest of the day doing chores around the house – there were baskets of laundry to fold; Steve cleaned the playroom out for five hours; and I poured over my cookie manager manual and tried to make a plan for how I would get the cookies to the girls. I emailed the other moms with instructions to choose time slots between today and Friday because I needed the weekend to get the cookies unpacked and sorted, and one mom immediately asked if she could come on Sunday instead. Sigh. Fine. Which meant that my Sunday morning run went out the window as I rushed around unpacking, sorting, and counting cookies. Peanut was my assistant and helped me QC to ensure each stack had the correct number of boxes. (Real world math! If Jane needs 38 boxes of thin mints, and there are twelve to a case, how many cases does she need and how many extra single boxes?) The other mom stopped by at 10:45 and I handed over her daughter’s cookies and the cookies for our two booths, and then we rushed out the door for the usual Sunday circus – swim class, then immediately to indoor soccer (I salvaged my run while Nugget was scoring four goals), and then I took the kids off to old town to visit with our dear friends Zoya and Robert. Zoya cooked a Persian feast for us and the kids gorged on her stash of marzipan and meringues. It was good, after a weekend packed full of chores and obligations, to have that time with loved ones. We looked through their pictures from their recent Costa Rica trip and the kids played a loud game of Jenga. And now another week looms, but at least I have a fresh stash of Zoya hugs to see me through.

Reading. It was sort of a busy week, so I didn’t manage to power through as many pages as usual, but I did get some reading done. Most of the week was given over to Agatha Christie’s Poirot: The Greatest Detective in the World, by Mark Aldridge – one of my Christmas presents (thank you, Steve!). Over the weekend, I steamed through a new reprint I’d been anxiously awaiting: Jane’s Country Year, which was absolutely delightful. And then on Sunday I started Original Letters from India, but didn’t have much time for reading with all the rushing around (and then football). I’ll dive in properly tonight.

Watching. Well, on Sunday there was that fourth quarter of the Bills game, which was way too stressful. I don’t think I’ll make a habit of watching football. Other than that – on Friday Steve and I watched the Kenneth Branagh Murder on the Orient Express. We both knew the denouement (I’ve read the book, and he had seen the old version of the movie with Lauren Bacall) but it was just as much fun to watch, and gorgeously filmed. I’m trying to convince him that our grand return to movie theaters should be for Death on the Nile (the second Hercule Poirot movie to star Sir Kenneth) and I think this went a long way. Other than that – I know I’ve been waxing rhapsodic about Winterwatch so I should mention that I’ve also been keeping up with Miranda Mills on YouTube and am almost caught up on back episodes of her show; always a total treat.

Listening. A mixture. A few more episodes of The Stubborn Light of Things via my podcatcher while making the grocery run and taking a few walks early in the week, and then I decided to switch back to Audible. I put in a few hours on In the Crypt with a Candlestick but wasn’t enjoying it, so I returned it to Audible and switched to the ever reliable Agatha Christie; I’m an hour into The Man in the Brown Suit and liking it much, much better.

Making. Well, you saw those cookie cases. Most of the weekend was spent making stacks of cookies (divided by girl, and counted and double counted and triple counted to ensure everyone got her correct order). I also quickly made our 2021 family yearbook on Shutterfly when I realized that there was a great deal – too good to pass up – and ordered our book on a steep discount. That always feels good!

Moving. Speaking of feeling good, running is feeling good. Several neighborhood runs last week; I unearthed my cold weather running pants and got a new pair of tech-friendly running gloves so I could get out in this icy weather, because it’s always a happier day when I get a run in. I knocked out a couple of longer runs, and a speedy 5K on Sunday when I had to squeeze it in and be back in time to pick Nugget up from soccer. (Apparently the best motivation for me to run fast is the need to not keep my heart’s treasure waiting.)

Blogging. Themed Reads coming atcha on Wednesday, and back to Olympic National Park on Friday. Check in with me then!

Loving. I think every time I get together with friends over the weekend, I say that I love that time. But it’s true – and the pandemic has, if anything, shown me that I really do enjoy and need those social interactions. (Still an introvert, though.) I was running on empty this weekend, and seeing Zoya and Robert was just what I needed.

Asking. What are you reading this week?

Good morning! Happy holiday weekend to my American friends – I hope you are having a restful, peaceful and contemplative Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. We have another blanket of snow on the ground here, although this one is shallower than last time’s, and pockmarked by last night’s freezing rain. I’m planning a cozy at-home sort of day, getting things done around the house, and hopefully breaking that up with a hike or ice skating in the afternoon if the roads aren’t too icy.

Backing up to Saturday, though – I had a big adventure. I took Nugget skiing! When I was growing up, my family skied almost every winter weekend, and I belonged to my school ski club. I love skiing – there’s nothing like the feeling of flying down a mountainside in the crisp winter air. Steve, by contrast, doesn’t ski or snowboard; he tried a few times as an adult, to make me happy, but it hasn’t taken. So it just wasn’t one of the family things we did with the kids, and I missed it. A few years ago, my dad started teaching Peanut to ski, but Nugget was such a baby at the time that going to the mountain as a family was just too overwhelming, and it didn’t happen. But recently, Nugget has been asking to go skiing (and he’s a very different kid) and I wanted to go, too, and I finally decided I’d just take him myself. If Steve and Peanut wanted to join us, great, and if not, we would still go. So, on Saturday – that’s what we did. I loaded Nugget and my ski gear into the car and drove us about an hour and twenty minutes north to Liberty Mountain in Pennsylvania. You guys. He did amazingly well – I was so insanely proud of him. First of all, I made the strategic mistake of taking him on MLK Day weekend, when the mountain was mobbed. It took almost two hours in line to get his rental skis and boots and the little guy didn’t complain once. Literally, I complained more than he did (I needed the restroom and was also feeling terrible about his first experience of skiing being standing in a two hour line before even setting foot on the mountain). Then once we got on the slope – finally – he picked up the basics right away and was flying down the bunny hill before I knew it! He loved every second – except that he wants ski poles and doesn’t like the wedge formation (he’s one of those kids that just wants to fly straight down the mountain) – and he’s asked to go again this coming Saturday. I didn’t touch black diamond snow, my whole afternoon was spent on the magic carpet, and it was the best mountain day ever because I made myself a ski buddy.

That was long! Sunday was much quieter and less exciting. The usual running around – weekly swim class, plus Nugget’s indoor soccer started up yesterday so we headed straight from the pool to the gym. And the rest of the day I spent finally cleaning up the living areas (there was a lot of Christmas detritus still laying around, plus piles of snow gear and boots, schoolwork, legos…) and cooking a roast chicken. The snow started to fall as we were leaving soccer, so we also got in plenty of time gazing at it out the windows and watching the squabbles at the bird feeder. Restful. (For us, not for the birds.)

Reading. ‘Twas another busy reading week! On Monday, I finished up Square Haunting, which is now neatly stacked up with Patsy and waiting to go back to the library (tomorrow, maybe?). Then back to my own shelves – I dipped into my Christmas stack and tore through the hilarious Your Guide to Not Getting Murdered in a Quaint English Village. (It’s based on this CrimeReads piece, by the same author, if you want a flavor – but there’s added material in the book.) Next I picked up another recent Dean Street Press reprint – Mrs. Tim Carries On, the sequel to the wonderful Mrs. Tim of the Regiment. I loved it just as much as the first in the series. Then, I thought to pick up some nature writing to start off the year and grabbed H.E. Bates’ beautiful Through the Woods (although it starts in April, so perhaps I should have saved it for spring, but I’d already got it off the shelf by the time I realized that, so…) and then rolled through Amanda Gorman’s gorgeous and cathartic Call Us What We Carry. Finally, late on Sunday, I picked up another Christmas present – Agatha Christie’s Poirot: The Greatest Detective in the World (fact). I’m only about 25 pages in as of press time, but enjoying it immensely.

Watching. We continue to be basically English – wrapped up Winterwatch 2021 on Sunday evening, progress on recent Gardener’s World, and now thinking we’ll turn to older series of Winterwatch while we wait for the 2022 live cameras to boot up on BBC.

Listening. I am still making my way through Melissa Harrison’s beautiful 2020 nature podcast, The Stubborn Light of Things. I’m into June now and it’s lovely.

Making. Meh, just the usual. Lots of lunches and dinners for everyone (the roast chicken yesterday came out delish); many, many work emails; a clean living room, finally. Today I have designs on homemade chicken stock.

Moving. Y’all know what’s a workout? Teaching a six-year-old to ski. Lots of sidestepping uphill while towing him, hauling him to his feet when he fell, bending over (while on skis myself) to retrieve his skis after he yard sales… and 100% worth it, every single bit. Other than the obvious, it was the usual. Neighborhood runs.

Blogging. Part II of my 2021 reading retrospective on Wednesday, and back to the PNW with another travel post on Friday. Check in with me then!

Loving. I’ve already waxed lyrical enough about skiing with the little dude, but I’ll just give it a few more sentences; hope you don’t mind. It’s been years since I got a day on the mountain and it was amazing – more so because Nugget was there. I try so hard to meet my kids where they are and not force anything on them; his love of kayaking, and now hopefully skiing too, is all him. He’s just the coolest, best adventure buddy I could have wished for.

Asking. What are you reading this week?